Protective shields for bed patients



Nov. 9, 1965 os 3,216,417

PROTECTIVE SHIELDS FOR BED PATIENTS Filed Feb. 15. 1963 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,216,417 PROTECTIVE SHIELDS FUR BED PATIENTS John T. Posey, 1739 Meadowbrook Road, Altadena, Calif. Filed Feb. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 258,210 2 Claims. (Cl. 128149) This invention relates to protective pads for bedridden patients.

Patients who are confined to bed for long periods, particularlythe elderly, develop painful sores where their bodies are in constant contact with the bed. For example, many elderly patients rub their elbows and heels against the bedclothes repeatedly until painful running sores are formed.

This invention provides a protective pad for the parts of a patients body which are commonly subjeoted to bedsores. The pad fits the patient comfortably and provides freedom of movement, and yet prevents the formation of the painful sores which otherwise result from contact between the patients skin and the bed.

Briefly, the pad includes a sheet having a smooth, slick exterior surface which slides easily over the bedclothes. A soft layer is disposed against an interior surface of the sheet, and a strap is secured to opposing edges of the sheet to hold the pad around a part of the patients anatomy, with the soft layer fitting against the patients skin. Thus, the smooth, slick exterior surface glides easily over the bedclothes and prevents any rubbing friction contact against the patients skin.

Preferably, the soft layer is an elastic material such as foam rubber, and the smooth exterior surface of the sheet has a substantially lower coefiicient of friction against the bedclothes than does the patients skin. For example, the sheet may be made of a smooth, slick plastic such as polyethylene, nylon, or the various ureaformaldehyde and phenolic resins.

The preferred form of the invention also includes an inner protective layer over the interior of the soft layer to prevent it from becoming soiled. A further improvement is the use of a liner or insert of soft absorbent material inside the pad. The liner preferably is removable so that it may be washed or discarded should it become soiled.

In a pad of the type adapted to fit around the heel of a patient, the sheet preferably is elongated, and disposed in a general U-shape. A fastening strap is secured across adjacent opposed portions lying near one edge of the sheet, and a first band is connected across opposed adjacent portions near another edge of the sheet to prevent the pad from sliding longitudinally with respect to the patients leg. Preferably, a second band is secured to an intermediate portion of the first band, and to an intermediate portion of the edge to which the first band is secured.

In a pad adapted to fit around the elbow of a patient, an elongated sheet is of reduced width intermediate its ends so that it may be wrapped around the patients elbow and still be free to flex when the patient bends his elbow. A pair of straps are secured across the wide portions of the sheet on opposite sides of the narrow portion so that the band may be held securely and comfortably in place around the patients arm.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pad adapted to fit around a patients elbow;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pad adapted to fit on a patients foot.

Referring to FIGS 1 and 2, a pad includes a layer 11 of soft resilient material such as foam rubber, sandwiched between a first sheet 12 and a second sheet 13. The first and second sheets are made of smooth, slick plastic material such as polyethylene. Such materials are desired because they have a lower coefiicient of friction against bedclothes than does human skin. The sheets and the resilient layer are generally rectangular in plan view as shown in FIG. 1, and include intermediate portions 14 of reduced width. A first elongated strap 15 is secured at one end to the exterior surface of the second sheet on one side of the area of reduced width. An elongated patch of Velcro fastener material 16 is secured to the other end of the strap and is adapted to adhere to a patch 17 of Velcro fastener material secured to the opposite side of the exterior of the second sheet. A second strap 18 is secured at one end to the second sheet on the opposite side of the reduced area 14, and includes an elongated patch 19 of Velcro fastener material at its free end adapted to adhere to a patch 20 of Velcro fastener material secured to the opposite side of the exterior surface of the second sheet.

The peripheries of the first and second sheets are sealed together to hold the layer of resilient material between them.

In using the elbow pad shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first sheet 12 is centered against the patients elbow, and the straps are wrapped around the inside surface of the patients arm so that the pad forms a U-shape cup around the exterior elbow part of the patients arm. The Velcro patches are then secured to each other so that the pad is held firmly but comfortably on the patients elbow. The reduced sections 14 of the sheets and resilient layer facilitate bending the patients elbow without casing uncomfortable wrinkling or crimping of the pad. The exterior surface of the second sheet rests on the bedclothes when the patients elbow is at his side, and as the patient moves the elbow acros the sheet, there is no friction or chafing of the patients skin because the smooth, slick exterior surface of the second sheet slides easily over the bedclothes.

Referring to FIG. 3, a heel pad 24 includes a rectangular plastic sheet 25 curved in an upwardly opening generally U-shaped configuration. The exterior surface of the plastic sheet is smooth and slick and has a coefficient of friction against bedclothes substantially less than that of the patients skin against the bedclothes.

The sheet is held in the U-shaped configuration by an elongated first band 26 secured at its opposite ends to adjacent opposed corners of the sheet. An intermediate or second band 27 is secured at its upper end between the ends of the first band 26 and is formed integrally at its lower end with the central portion of one edge of the plastic sheet. A fastening strap 28 is secured at one end to a corner on the opposite edge of the sheet and includes an elongated patch 29 of Velcro fastener material at its opposite end adapted to adhere to a patch 30 of Velcro fastener material secured to an opposing corner of the plastic sheet. Although Velcro fastener material is preferred because it has no hardware, hooks, buttons, snaps, or any suitable fastening means may be used in its place.

A cushioning layer 32 of suitable elastic resilient material such as polyurethane foam rubber of rectangular shape matching the plastic sheet is disposed within the sheet and secured to it by stitches 33. A liner insert 34 of suitable absorbent material such as cotton or felt is disposed within the cushioning layer in a generally U-shaped configuration. However, the end of the liner adjacent the bands 26 and 27 is closed by a flap 35. The opposite end of the liner is open to receive the ankle (not shown) of the patient.

In using the heel pad shown in FIG. 3, the patients foot is placed in the pad so his heel fits against the bands 26 and 27 at one end of the 'pad. The strap 28 is then secured across the patients ankle to hold the pad firmly in place. With this arrangement, as the patient moves his foot back and forth over the bedclothes, there is no irritation of chafing of the skin on the patients heel because the smooth, slick exterior surface of the plastic sheet 25 makes an easy sliding fit over the bedclothes. Moreover, the pad is open so that the patients foot is fully ventilated and enjoys a full degree of freedom and comfort. The removable liner insert extends the utility of the pad because it can be removed When soiled, and be replaced by a fresh one.

I claim:

1. An anti-friction protective pad for part of a patients body, the pad comprising an elongated initially flat sheet having a smooth slick exterior surface, the sheet having an intermediate portion having a width approximately one-half as Wide as the remainder of the sheet, a soft layer disposed against an interior surface of the sheet, first and second straps, and means for securing each strap to opposing edges of the sheet on opposite sides of the said intermediate portion and around the said part of the patient to hold the soft layer against the patient.

2. An anti-friction protective pad for part of a patients body, the pad comprising an elongated sheer naving a smooth slick exterior surface and disposed in a generally channel-shaped configuration to define upper edges and an end edge at one end thereof, a soft layer disposed against an interior surface of the sheet, a first band connected between opposing adjacent portions of said end edge, a second band connected between the bottom of the channel-shaped sheet and said first band intermediate the ends thereof, the first and second bands thereby serving to retain the sheet in thechannel-shaped configuration, a strap, and means for securing the strap to opposing adjacent portions of said sheet near the said upper edges of the sheet but displaced from said end edge and around the said part of the patient at an angle Wtih respect to the bottom of said channel to hold the soft layer against the patient.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 832,536 10/06 Coupe 128165 982,376 l/ 11 MacFarlane 128--94 2,140,598 1'2/38 Rhorer 128l65 2,460,589 2/ 49 Lewis 12894 2,669,989 2/54 Shoucair l28153 2,706,476 4/55 Diamond 128-132 3,011,494 12/61 McGowan 128149 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ANTI-FRICTION PROTECTIVE PAD FOR PART OF A PATIENT''S BODY, THE PAD COMPRISING AN ELONGATED INITIALLY FLAT SHEET HAVING A SMOOTH SLICK EXTERIOR SURFACE, THE SHEET HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION HAVING A WIDTH APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF AS WIDE AS THE REMAINDER OF THE SHEET, A SOFT LAYER DISPOSED AGAINST AN INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE SHEET, FIRST AND SECOND STRAPS, AND MEANS FOR SECURING EACH 